Governor John Bel Edwards announced his support for the Bayou Bridge Pipeline and the expulsion of state Senator Troy Brown during his monthly call in radio show. Halen Doughty has more…
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The National Safety Council reports motor vehicle deaths in 2016 increased six-percent from last year nationally and in Louisiana crash fatalities are up five-percent from 2014. Emelie Gunn has more…
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A bill is heading to the House floor that would use only $74 million from the rainy day fund to close a $304 million midyear deficit. Jeff Palermo reports…
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Teen mothers are seeing better pregnancy and parenting outcomes thanks to a program by Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana. The Jus4Me program was funded by a $50-thousand grant from United Healthcare Community Plan of Louisiana. CEO Allison Young says 89-percent of the young mothers used the health and referral services at school-based health centers regularly, which had tremendous outcomes for these mothers’ children.
Young says 97-percent of the mothers in the program stayed in school both during and after their pregnancies. She says 52 teen parents improved their parenting skills through weekly classes held at 6 school sites in four parishes. She says the Jus4Me program enables teen moms to come together and discuss personal issues and get support.
Young says this program is vitally important to these young mothers, and United Healthcare is proud of the results they were able to achieve through this partnership with the Children’s Coalition. She says they hope to help even more teen mothers in the future.
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During his 11th monthly call in radio show, Governor John Bel Edwards announced his support for two controversial issues in the Bayou State- the expulsion of state Senator Troy Brown and the construction of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline. Edwards says while the pipeline would only create about 12 permanent jobs, it would create more jobs during construction and job retention for others.
The proposed pipeline would stretch across 11 parishes from Calcasieu to St. James, and it’s facing fierce opposition from environmental groups. Edwards says transporting crude through a pipeline is much safer than by train or truck. He adds that he doesn’t see a conflict between the pipeline and the state’s coastal restoration masterplan.
Edwards also supports the expulsion of the Napoleonville lawmaker who has been convicted of two separate domestic abuse charges. Senators could vote to expel Brown on Monday. The governor says Brown should have resigned immediately because that would have been best for him, his family, and the Senate.
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The National Safety Council finds motor vehicle deaths in 2016 rose 6-percent nationally from last year and in Louisiana they’ve increased by five-percent since 2014. Ken Kolosh (Koe-lahsh(with the NSC says they blame distracted driving for the increase…
Kolosh says crash fatalities could also be on the rise, because young drivers are not adequately prepared to get behind the wheel.
The National Safety Council report finds that 661 died in motor-vehicle deaths in 2016, nationally the number exceeded 40-thousand for the first time since 2007. Kolosh says another concern is alcohol related fatalities are on the rise, but there are ways lawmakers can address it…
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The House Appropriations Committee approves legislation that takes only $74 million from the rainy day fund, instead of the $119 million the governor recommended. The vote comes after a heated back and forth between the governor’s chief budget advisor and Republican lawmakers. Covington Representative John Schroder supports the measure.
The budget plan that’s now heading to the House calls for cuts to prisons, colleges, and public schools, areas the governor is seeking to protect. Republican lawmakers have been pushing for reductions in state spending, but Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the right time to reduce spending isn’t in the middle of the year.
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Schroder says the state is living outside its means, so the cuts have to be made. He says using one time money is irresponsible because it just kicks the can down the road, and we’ll be in the same predicament again next year.
But Dardenne says he can’t understand the hesitance to use the rainy day fund when the state is facing a $304 million midyear deficit, because this is exactly why the fund was created.
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A bill that uses no rainy day dollars was also approved, and both proposals are expected to be heard Friday on the House floor.